An increase in tiger population might not bode well for the big cats, discovers Team Viva in a chat with wildlife enthusiast and filmmaker, KRISHNENEDU BOSE
What happens when the number of tigers increasesIJ The obvious answer would be, that their gene pool gets enriched and we can go to town with claims of a higher tiger population density in the country. But wildlife enthusiast and filmmaker Krishnendu Bose has a different take. He says, “We are at war with these tigers.”
Bose, director and editor of the National Award winning documentary, The Tiger Who Crossed the line explores the flip side of increased tiger population and speaks about the untold stories that transpire beyond our knowledge.
The documentary was made over a period of four years and covered multiple forest reserves and most importantly the corridors. The film embarked on a journey to tell the stories of tigers living outside the reserves as a result of population expansion. The director travelled across tiger reserves like Corbett, Ramnagar, Pilibhit, Sunderbans, Tadoba, Pench and Kanha and left no stone unturned to present a clear picture of the plight of such tigers.
While it is a matter of pride for the country that the density of its national animal has escalated but there is a greater concern associated with the protection of the tigers spilling out of forest reserves. Explaining about how the shrinking territories has an impact of the feline population, Bose says, “Tigers are ferociously territorial. Each tiger has a well defined territory. The moment the reserve capacity reaches its ceiling, the new tigers are pushed out. With shrinking space and little protection outside, the tigers who cross the line find themselves in a critical situation.” It is at this juncture that man-animal conflict begins since many forest reserves are surrounded by human habitation.
To explain the phenomenon of crossover, Bose puts forward the example of the Corbett National Park. He says, “Corbett has the highest density of tigers in the world and the excess tigers cross over and go to the Ramnagar forest division which is surrounded by human habitation.” The present population of tigers at the Ramnagar forest reserve is 35 and the lack of infrastructure is intimidating for the forest manager. Adding to the miseries of the crossover, the authorities in India have made two unwritten categories, says the director, “the rich tigers of the reserves and their poor cousins outside.”
This makes Bose seek answers to many important questions. “If tigers travel out, how far could they goIJ How much protection do they need before they get into the safe reservesIJ”
Bose, in his documentary also highlighted several first hand experiences of man-animal conflicts where people recounted incidents of their encounter with the tigers. He travelled to Sunderbans where people live in close proximity to the habitat of tigers and have to venture deep into the forest for a living. People recounted their experiences of having been attacked by tigers a number of times. However, quite surprisingly, the people do not want the tigers to be killed. All they want is a clear demarcation of the areas — one inhabited by them and the other inhabited by the wild population.
Industrialisation and its impact are another cause for concern with regards to the tiger. With industrialisation comes the coal mines further shrinking whatever little space was available for wild life to exist.
For instance the Rampal Power Project has the potential to destroy the flora and fauna of the Sunderbans. Bose says “We need power, we need road, we need railway lines, it’s not that we can do away it but there has to be a general policy, a vision for your wildlife, for your habitation, for your people, for your development which is not there.”
Over the period of four years that Bose took to make the documentary, he also set out on a quest to answer his own questions. While through his documentary it is evident that the tiger population has increased, the protection extended to such tigers is not sufficient to maintain the gene pool. Bose categorically states, “In India we are caught up in the number game but that is a very weak indicator of tiger’s health.” He goes on to add, “Conservation has been played around and the information coming out is very technical. There is greater politics being played behind such technical reports where the real scenario does not get reported, only the number gets reported to make people feel good.”
Etching a story through an extensive journey across Indian forest reserves, Bose’s documentary provides a glimpse of the feline life beyond the corridors and questions our preconceived notions about the survival of the wild.